Jaguar has killed off its “Kray Twin” super saloon, the XJR 575. According to British publication Auto Express, the firm (Jaguar that is, not the other firm) has had to cull the big cat due to ever more stringent Euro emissions test benchmark requirements.
This means the XJR — the sportier strain of big Jag that has more-or-less been with us since 1994 — has officially gone from the model roster.
It also means, in the UK at least, that the only XJ now available to buy is a diesel one.
What a strange world we live in.
In this age of compact cross-overs and ride-sharing, the XJR 575 V8 luxo-barge was never a strong seller, even in its homeland.
Jaguar New Zealand had a restricted number for sale, but the tap being turned off in the UK means the model has effectively disappeared from our shores, too.
(The bruiser version has been the only XJ variant available here for the past year or so.)
Persistent rumours suggest the XJ will be reborn in its ninth generation as an all-electric luxury model; a sort of limousine-like take on tech already seen in Jaguar’s clever I-Pace BEV.
That will be on sale in a couple of years’ time by all accounts.
But the disappearance of the XJR certainly represents a lump-in-throat moment for fans of pure fossil-fuel derived horsepower.
It’s an exhaust burble we will certainly miss.
Weirdly, Volkswagen’s I.D Buzz Cargo van is its most Kombi-like concept yet
You can forget your clever-clogs campers and sun-sand-and-frisbies lifestyle takes on Volkswagen’s all-electric I.D. Buzz concept vehicle; it’s the panel van we love the most.
The humble cargo van version of the Kombi-aping I.D. Buzz — called the I.D. Buzz Cargo — was shown off at the IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, recently. It’s the kind of thing that has people who enjoy racking systems absolutely frothing. Er ... and us as well.
But thanks to those slab-sided rear flanks perhaps, somehow this take on Volkswagen’s all-electric future brings to mind the Kombi van of old.
Even more so than the brightly coloured version unveiled a couple of years ago.
What else does Volkswagen believe courier drivers and telco repair technicians will value in the not-too-distant future? Those racks we mentioned slide in and out on an automatic rail system, meaning said tech doesn’t have to clamber in and out of the cargo area.
And with a 230V socket on board, wired in to the van’s batteries, a swappable battery-fed power tool can have its battery recharged by the I.D. Cargo on the go.
Volkswagen also unveiled a 250-watt Cargo e-Bike at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show. This is designed to be a “last mile” package delivery vehicle, a bit like those electro quad bikes NZ Post employees are often seen motoring around on these days.
Quirkier, but still clever, the Cargo e-Bike can carry large boxes that remain perfectly upright when the vehicle corners. Though they won’t be cornering at speed: its top speed is only 24km/h.
Speed reader? Try the Porsche 911 Writing Desk
Fashioning barbecues and sofas out of the rear end of iconic automobiles isn’t anything new. There are plenty of Holden HQ grilles and Chevy chaise-longues out there. Even the engine block coffee table has been done to death.
But how about taking a universally recognised body panel and fashioning something unexpected from it?
Here’s possibly the strangest marriage of form and function you’re likely to see this week.
Made using an original Porsche 911 boot lid, the designer of this writing desk, 3 GJB 17 (huh?), has coated the metal bits in Arctic Silver, matched with American Walnut for the trad legs.
The boot lifts up with spring-loaded hinges to reveal ... well, no flat six, but there will be plenty of room for your laptop or stationery.
Stationery? Well, you do have a writing desk after all ...
The designer might go by an inelegant moniker, but we reckon the svelte Porsche 911 writing desk is total minimalist chic.